Is Your Light Hidden?

The longer my husband and I were together, our opposite personalities and preferences started to merge into one. Over the years we started to think alike, finish each other’s sentences, enjoyed the same foods, the same people, the same pastimes, hobbies, movies, music and on and on. I am finding that the longer I know Jesus – the more I want to merge my personality and ways into that of His. Often I sense the "blood ties" between us when I blog using objects, people and places to make my points like He did. The longer I know Jesus, the more I love the “teacher” in Him. Of all His titles, “Teacher” was one given to Him 60 times by the multitudes. I have been a Bible teacher for many years – Bible studies, women’s ministries, Sunday School, Life Groups, etc. So, He and I are sharing this story (parable) with you today -- the one about the lamp on a stand. Jesus wanted His followers to stand out, to be an example and not to hide away. (Matthew 5:14-16) The lamp (the light) was the object of His lesson. He is saying we don’t take a lamp and light it and put it under the bed or a bushel basket. The whole purpose of having the lamp is to put it on the lampstand and let it shine. That light isn’t just for itself. It illuminates everything it shines on, including everyone that comes into that room. We are the lights and Jesus' light-bearers. Like bugs are attracted to the light at night, hungry and searching people are attracted to Christ’s light in us. By the very like-Jesus quality and integrity of our lives, we shed His light, illuminating what is beautiful and, at the same time, revealing what is ugly in comparison. Without vibrant, active, and fully-devoted-to-Christ followers in this world – what is left is a very dark, evil, and hurting place. Just think about the painful truths of what our world became when our lights were dimmed. Think of the rise of evil powers that created WW II. Christianity had become so weak, so uncompelling, so asleep -- that great evil flourished. Yes, there were some powerful Christians, but most remained in silence, either out of fear or indifference. But, here’s the good news for us, first and foremost: God can take something bad, something evil, something the devil uses for harm, and turn it into something good. God can turn the tables on our enemy. No matter how bleak things may look right now, God can and will still work through all of this, but we can't hide! We MUST let our lights shine brightly. It seems like darkness is all around us, but if we look, we’ll see goodness, too. It’s time for us to fix our thoughts on the lights around us. It’s time for us to BE the light around us! It’s time for us to light up our world with God’s glorious light. “Hide it under a bushel – NO! I’m gonna’ let it shine! This little light of mine – I’m gonna’ let it shine!”